The present invention relates to a side air bag apparatus of a vehicle, and more particularly to a side air bag apparatus for restraining a head portion or the like of an occupant at a time of a side collision of a vehicle.
As a side air bag apparatus of a vehicle, there is a structure provided along a side roof rail, which is arranged in a portion corresponding to a head portion of an occupant, in a vehicle body.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 10-181512 discloses a side air bag apparatus of a vehicle.
In accordance with a consideration of inventors of the present invention, there is a case that the side air bag apparatus is structured such that a bag-like air bag main body is provided between a side roof rail and a garnish covering the side roof rail in a folded state thereof. In the case mentioned above, an end portion of the air bag main body is connected to an inflator arranged between a pillar and a resin pillar garnish covering the pillar at the side of an occupant room. Then, the structure is made such that at the time of a side collision, gas is injected into the air bag main body from the inflator so as to downward inflate and deploy the air bag main body in a curtain shape, thereby restraining so as to protect the head portion of the occupant.
In this case, since the inflator arranged at the pillar side is structured so as to inject the gas due to a reaction of an agent therewithin or the like, a rigidity of the inflator itself is increased so as to resist against a pressure thereof.
Accordingly, in order to more effectively absorb an impact energy applied to the head portion of the occupant, a structure is provided with a plurality of ribs formed on a back surface of a resin pillar garnish covering the inflator. The ribs are deformed if the head portion of the occupant is brought into contact with a portion of the pillar garnish corresponding to the inflator.
However, in the structure mentioned above, since it is necessary to form a plurality of ribs on the back surface of the pillar garnish covering the pillar at the side of the occupant room, a clearance between the inflator and the pillar garnish is increased correspondingly. Accordingly, the pillar garnish protrudes to the inner side of the occupant room, thereby reducing the occupant room interior space.
An object of the present invention is to provide a side air bag apparatus of a vehicle which has no necessity of forming a plurality of ribs on a back surface of a pillar garnish or the like and can well secure an occupant room interior space.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a side air bag apparatus of a vehicle comprising: an air bag main body arranged along an inner side of an occupant room extending from a pillar to a side roof rail in a folded state thereof and capable of being deployed downward; an inflator injecting gas and capable of inflating the air bag main body due to the gas so as to deploy the air bag main body downward, an upper end portion of the inflator being positioned lower than a head portion of an occupant; and a gas communication member capable of introducing the gas injected from the inflator to the air bag main body and capable of being deformed due to an excessive input from an external portion thereof.
In other words, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a side air bag apparatus of a vehicle comprising: an air bag main body arranged along an inner side of an occupant room extending from a pillar to a side roof rail in a folded state thereof and capable of being deployed downward; an inflator injecting gas and capable of inflating the air bag main body due to the gas so as to deploy the air bag main body downward, an upper end portion of the inflator being positioned lower than a head portion of an occupant; and gas communication means capable of introducing the gas injected from the inflator to the air bag main body and capable of being deformed due to an excessive input from an external portion thereof.